living lives, bettering selves, health and fitness

Category Archives: goals

I must have read and heard the following advice thousands of times throughout my life:

Always do your best. Make do with what you have. Life is a journey, not a destination. You get the idea. Instead, I always viewed everything I did in life as a means to an end.

Let me explain what I mean. I have always been goal-oriented. I would have a big long-term goal in mind and I would work towards it. The problem is that whatever I was currently engaged in did not matter to me. It was just a step toward reaching my bigger goal. I wasn’t worried about the quality of my work or life, as long as I was closer to the next big thing.

Here is an example of what I’m talking about.

In my former criminal life, bookmaking (sports bets) was my bread and butter. It was the fuel for everything else. It paid for my travel to chase after the big scores. It paid for every side project I launched. I did not care about it other than it kept putting enough cash into my pocket to do what I wanted. I also ran stores and other businesses but I would neglect them, to focus on a new venture or bigger money-making scheme.

The problem I encountered in my life, again and again, was this: I would make enough money doing something to get what I wanted in the short term, and then I would be off again on some crazy adventure.

I wasted years of my life not giving one endeavor my full, undivided attention.

I caution you to learn from my mistakes. No matter where you are at in life, no matter what you are doing – make the most of it! Give it all your attention, work hard, master it, make it work and you will have no regrets. Don’t spend your life looking for the next big thing, make the most of every day and be the best version of yourself today.

God has given each of us a specific set of skills that sets us apart from everyone else. Invest your time in growing those skills and working with what you already have right now. Stop viewing your time and your job as a means to an end. Each day is a gift and an opportunity to improve.

When change comes into our lives it is rarely welcomed. It can turn our lives upside down and take us outside of our comfort zone. It is usually only looked at favorably in hindsight.

So when is the best time to make changes to our lives? Most of us only change when we are forced into it by a circumstance of life. There are seldom times when we decide that the way things are now is no longer acceptable so we truly commit to change. I’m not talking about a three day cleanse or a week without sugar, I’m talking about a permanent lifestyle change.

I’m here to encourage you to stop waiting until you have hit rock bottom or you have a crisis to change.

There will never be a perfect time in our lives for voluntary change, so right now is as good a time as any. The world around us is changing every day and there is nothing we can do to slow it down or stop it.

Even if life is going along perfectly and we are content, there is always room for self-improvement. There is nothing wrong with wanting something better in life. Goals are a great part of living. We should never stop learning or moving forward.

Changing because of what others think is not the answer. Forget about other people’s opinions. You are given one chance at your life, and you should stop letting others dictate your life, just like you should stop blaming others for the things in your life that have gone wrong.

Take responsibility, step up and make positive changes. If you take ownership of your life and take steps toward your goals, you will arrive where you set out.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

I spent many years viewing life through a flawed belief system. One of the faulty views I lived by was that life is a competition and that I need to get as much as I could for myself.

This turned out to be a lonely, miserable way to live, no matter what I was able to acquire.

I falsely believed that in life there are only a few real winners and the rest, well… were losers.

I have no idea when I came to the conclusion that there was only so much success to go around, but it was at a pretty young age. It has taken me years to realize that there is always plenty to go around! Success is infinite and has no quota, and success is not defined financially or through social validation.

It was a real lightbulb moment for me when I realized that helping others to succeed ultimately helped me, and didn’t hurt my own strive for success.

Martial arts helped me learn that important lesson. Jiu-Jitsu, in particular, is a sport that you cannot practice alone. You must learn by doing, with the help and patience of others. Many people took their own time to work with me and help me grow when I was just a newbie. I, in turn, pass that along by working with other newbies. The feeling I get when I watch others reach their goals and grow their skills is actually far better than some solitary success.

What is your skill? Everyone has something they are good at. We are each gifted in different areas and we all have invested our own time over the years working toward something. I challenge you to take your skill and invest back in the people around you who could benefit from your success.

Our contribution to society can be far greater than a number in a bank account or an exciting biography page on Wikipedia. Those that we help, will, in turn, be more likely to do the same for others in the future. You can become the starting point for a big cycle of “pay it forward.” Your investment in one person could affect thousands down the road.

2018 is here! What changes will you make? The new year is a great time to commit yourself to better health. Sadly, New Year’s resolutions to get into better shape and go to the gym rarely last out the month of January. I encourage you to make a commitment to yourself to make fitness a regular part of your life and stick with it.

There is no use getting a gym membership where you either have no real idea where to start or you get into something that’s not a good fit for you.

Fitness is not a quick fix. Instead, it is all about the steady, long-term, day-to-day training. If we all take an honest look at our lives, we can all get an idea of how long we have been abusing our bodies. The changes for the negative did not happen overnight, and it is going to take some time to get it healthy again. There are no shortcuts. If something promises a quick fix, run away from it.

It will be hard to stay committed. You will be tired and sore and there are many days you will not feel like training. Excuses are a dime a dozen, but those of us that stick with it will find that reward worth it.

There will come a point where you will be amazed at how great you feel. You will eventually come to the realization that you accepted feeling bad as normal.

Life is short. We have no guarantee for tomorrow. Take care of your body while you are in it.

This could be the year that more of us come to the realization that food is fuel for our bodies. It’s purpose is not to make us happy or comfort us. Good food, unlike medications, has no negative side effects. Proper diet is important to our health and can keep us functioning at our best.

You have heard it before,“Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.”

Eat smart, train smart, make it fun and stick with it. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life.

The end of the year is here. Have you reached your goals, or did you settle for less?

So many of us settle because we are not willing to finish what we begin. There is no guarantee of happiness. Contrary to popular belief, happiness is not promised to us in the Constitution. No person can make us happy, no object we own, and no place we can visit.

There are many excuses we make for failing to reach our goals. A lot of times we like to play the blame game, passing the buck to someone or something out of our control.

I will (insert) as soon as I get here, or get this, or this happens.

The government is holding me back.

I was born poor.

I have no education.

I don’t have the time.

I don’t have the talent.

No matter what our reasons are, if we do not reach our full potential we are hurting ourselves and the people closest to us.

We cannot let fear of failure hold us back.

It is time to get out the pen and paper and start mapping out the things we will accomplish in the coming year. After we write it down we need to plan the steps we need to take to reach our goals. You are in control of your decisions and your path.

If we never challenge ourselves with new goals we will never grow. Let’s all make 2018 a great year!

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Sometimes I find myself thinking I’ve learned all of the important lessons in life.. Then life steps up and surprises me again.

One lesson I thought I knew was the key to working with what I have and where I am right now. Even so, it is always easy to get caught up in “I’ll be happy once I reach this point or have this much” attitude. This year I have really been forced to slow down and take each day, week month one at a time. In the midst of it I really began to enjoy what I have and where I am in the world around me.

We can actually buck the current trend and be happy with less and guess what? It’s okay!

We all see others on social media and think, “Wow they live such a great life.” In reality, we are only seeing what they want us to see. If we focus on being content in our own lives, there is no need to compare.

Instead of complaining to others or ourselves about how bad our day was, or our life is at this moment, I challenge you to end every day thinking of all the things you are thankful for. I thank God every night that I had another great day. I am thankful for everything in my life and for all that will come.

As you close out your day with gratitude, spend some time planning your next day. Think about how you will wake up and put in the best work you can. When you make that plan and follow through, there will be no excuses to be made or blame to be assigned at the end of the day.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Proverbs 22:29

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Life is hard. We all face periods when it feels like our world is collapsing in on us. During those tough times, we can either face the hard times and deal with them, or let ourselves become prisoner to our circumstances.

The holiday season is here and it tends to bring many feelings to the forefront – many good, some bad. One of the most important is gratitude.

I am coming up on my third holiday season in the Midwest. Being away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, I have truly learned to enjoy a slower pace of life. I have learned to treasure the small things that come up on a daily basis and enjoy the beauty of the country around me.

I had it in my mind, for a very long time, that the only things I should be thankful for are cash money and freedom. The funny part about that, is that the money never made me happy and freedom is something I never really had. I held on to that warped sense of “what life should be” for far longer than I should have.

It took me many years to reach a place where gratitude became an important part of my daily life.

It is easy to let life distract us with what we don’t have, but the reality is that here in the U.S. we live very blessed lives. No matter what our economic level is, we have clean water, electricity and there is always food available.

It is time for me to not only be thankful for my many blessings, but to also step it up and do what I can for others because I have been so blessed. I always talk about my “goals” and this is a big one: I will pay it forward. I will help others just as people along the way have helped me.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.